After hitting a career high 30 home runs in 2014, Lucas Duda got off to a slow start in the power department this season, prompting some concern. However, he has certainly picked up the pace in the past week.
Duda hit a solo home run in the fourth inning of Friday night’s 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins. The Mets first baseman now has six home runs over his last five games and three over his last two games, giving him a team leading nine for the season. That puts him on track for 36 homers for the season.
Asked if he could explain his sudden surge, Duda said, “Just trying to get a good ball to hit and put a good swing on it. That’s really it.”
The guys at Number Fire ranked the top ten hitters in MLB using a metric that represents the number of runs contributed over a league-average batter per game (~27 plate appearances).
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports points out that Lucas Duda made the right call for turning down the Mets’ contract extension offer during spring training.
The team reportedly offered him a three-year deal that was worth a little under $30 million. Duda is earning $4.2 million this season and is eligible for arbitration the next two winters before becoming a free agent.
